Kevin Durant reportedly will reject any forthcoming invitation to go to the White House as part of a Warriors contingent following Golden State's NBA championship season.
The reason? President Donald J. Trump.
"Nah, I won't do that," KD said when asked by ESPN's Chris Haynes about attending a White House celebration for the Warriors. "I don't respect who's in office right now."
The Warriors superstar's interview with Haynes was far more thorough than his reply to an inquiry about LeBron James' critical comments concerning Trump.
"Hell yeah, hell yeah. That's how it's supposed to be," Durant told TMZ. "We don't (expletive) with him."
The Finals MVP spent time with Haynes explaining his stance on a day his hometown of Seat Pleasant, Md., celebrated Kevin Durant Day.
"I don't agree with what (Trump) agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that," Durant said. "That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."
Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala have each expressed similar stances on a White House visit. Coach Steve Kerr encouraged his team to consider going _ even if they decide on skipping such a visit, which is traditional for American pro sports teams coming off championships. KD seems to have thought lots about it.
"I just wanted to sit back and analyze everything and gather my thoughts," Durant told Haynes. "I wanted to say something immediately, but I definitely want to be the voice of where I come from and people who have come from my neighborhood and deal with oppression.
"I'm representing a lot of people. As far as what's going on in our country, for one as an athlete, you have to commend Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, CP3 (Chris Paul), Dwyane Wade for starting that conversation last year. Russell Westbrook also said something in his speech. A lot guys with platforms have drove the conversation in a good direction. And what's going on in Charlottesville, that was unfathomable."
The hatred on display in Charlottesville reportedly led Durant to feel "like we took a turn for the worse."
"It all comes from who is in the administratio," KD continued. "It comes from the top _ leadership trickles down to the rest of us. So, you know, if we have someone in office that doesn't care about all people, then we won't go anywhere as a country. In my opinion, until we get him out of here, we won't see any progress."
